"You forgot Poland!"

[Sukerkin]

Gentlemen, whilst discussions of any 'political' matter are going to engender strong opinions of many shades, it would probably be for the best if those getting a little too agitated were to take a minute or so to cool down and think about how you're going to say something as much as bustling to the front to have your say.

Free discussion is one thing and is to be lauded; insulting, belittling and generally abusing each other is not. If this topic is something you wish to discuss then, for the sake of keeping the thread open, turn the heat down a touch.

Otherwise, to echo a phrase from pub landlords, you'll end up having to "take it outside".

 

[theletch1]

[playnice]Jeff Letchford[/playnice]

 

[Tez3]

I clicked on this thread with interest and am now totally mystified as to what it's about!

However perhaps I can clear up the bit about Japanese troops. They consist of engineers and water purifying experts, 100 strong med unit and a detachment of armoured troops to protect them. Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution forbids Japan from settling international arguments/wars by threat or use of force.

I don't know how other military works,in ours (the British Army, Royal Marines, Royal Air force Regiment) every person is a soldier on the front line on Afghanistan and Iraq. We've had medics, drivers, aircraft fitters killed as well as other trades including female clerks who go out on patrol to assist with female searching. The cooks and suppliers can and do defend the troops positions as necessary. We've also had Int. Corps and Military Police personnel killed. Every one who goes out to Iraq and Afghanistan knows they are going as frontline troops and they wouldn't have it any other way.

But I still don't know what you are arguing about.

 

[MBuzzy]

I'm with Tez...I'm also mystified, but if I may add...

I realize that it is a widely held opinion that the military has outsourced a great number of its duties, but they do in fact still have a job. In the American military, as in the British military, anyone who deploys to Iraq or Afghanistan is on the front line and has an equal chance of being a casualty of war. Even on base, there is an equal likelihood of having a mortar dropped on your head.

The contractors who are there are in just as much danger and are doing essential jobs. The KBR workers provide power, serve meals, repair base infrastructure, etc. The civilian security contractors provide essential training and security and are largely composed of retired military. But all of those outsourced jobs DO still exist in the military, the contractors supplement and are in just as much danger. It is just a HUGE job that we have there and if the military had to do it alone, there would be no one at home - everyone would be deployed.

 

[Tez3]

We only have contractors doing things like catering, admin, driving work in the UK, they don't go to Afghanistan or Iraq. The military uses it's own people there, the civilians that are there are MOD civil servants only.